Top 25 local athletes: Cindy Curley

From left, Cindy Curley, Peter Karmanos Jr., Bill Guerin, Doug Weight and Ron Mason stand with their plaques before being inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Detroit on Dec. 2, 2013. (AP PHOTO)

Those who set the standard for excellence in national athletic programs are few and far between.

Cindy Curley is one of those rare standard-bearers.

The Nashoba Regional grad was a standout ice hockey player at Providence College on several U.S. National teams, playing in the inaugural World Championship and racking up three silvers and a bronze in international play. But one performance at the IIHF World Championship tournament set her above anyone before or since.

Curley played in the first women's international tournament, the 1987 World Championships (bronze, while acting as the first captain of a U.S. National team), and then in the 1990, 1992 and 1994 World Championships (silver).

Cindy Curley addresses the media before her induction into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Detroit on Dec. 2, 2013. (AP PHOTO)

She was selected to the All-Tournament Team in 1990 and still holds the Team USA record for most points in an international tournament after scoring 23 (11 goals, 12 assists in five games) that year.

Her accomplishments on the ice landed the Stowe native a place in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame last year. Curley had previously been inducted into the Providence College Hall of Fame after a stellar collegiate career and into the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame.

"It's a little strange to be honored as an individual for a team sport," Curley said prior to her U.S. Hockey Hall induction. "It's definitely an honor, but it's not something you do on your own. There's a lot of help from a lot of people.

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At Providence, Curley was phenomenal while women's hockey was in its infancy. She still ranks third all-time in the program with 225 points and fourth with 110 goals. Curley's 115 assists are also good for third all-time and she played a pivotal role in the Friars picking up a pair of ECAC titles before her graduation in 1985.

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